Low-pressure alarm for lubricating systems



Oct. 28, 1952 E. TOPPING LOW-PRESSURE ALARM FOR LUBRICATING SYSTEMS 2 SHEETS -SHEET 1 Filed NOV. 2'7, 1950 Eugene Topping INVENTOR.

Oct. 28, 1952 E. TOPPING 2,615,419

LOW-PRESSURE ALARM FOR LUBRICATING SYSTEMS Filed NOV. 27, 1950 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Eugene Topping INVENTOR.

Patented Oct. 28, 1 952 JUNITED STATES PATENT ,OFFICEgj LOW-PRESSUREfALARM FOB, LUBRICATIN SYSTEMS V .Eugene Topping, Brooklyn, N. Y.

. Application November 27, 1950, Serial No. 197,716

Claims.

' -Thepresent invention relates tonew and useful improvements-in alarms or signals to indicate failurein the safe operating pressure of lubricathe lubricating system below a predetermined safe operating point will open the air valve to sound'the alarm.

Anotherobject of the invention is to provide an air valve and whistle'detachably mounted as a unit incompact form on a cylinder for a lubri eating pressure. operated piston and providing me'ans connected. to the piston for operating the air. valve.

still further object. is. to provide a 'device of this characte'r'of .simple .and practical construetion,.iw'hich isefiicientand reliable .in operation;

relatively inexpensive to. manufacture. and otherwisewell adapted for the purposes for whichthe same. is intended. Other objects and advantages. reside in the detailsof construction and operation as more'fully' hereinafter described and'claimed, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view; Figure 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1; V

Figure 3 isasimilar view showing'the air valve in open position; Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view taken on a'iline l-lofFigure 2;- and Figure 5 is a'verticalsectional view of the-air valve.

Referring now to the drawings in detail wherein for the purpose of illustration, I have disclosed a preferred embodiment of the invention, the numeral 5 designates a cylinder connected at its bottom to the lubricating system of an engine or other machinery by means of a pipe 6. A piston '1 works in the cylinder and to which the lower like [3, and the valve body H is formed with a pair of vertical bores I i-in which the rods-8 are slidable. The rods project upwardly above the top of valvebody l I and are connected at their-upper ends by a cross bar or yoke I5.

Valve body H is formed with a chamber lfi to which a suitable source of air'pressure is con-'- nected by means of a pipe l l and the upper portion of the chamber I 6 is formed with a valve seat It and with a passage 20 leading upwardly from the chamber above the valve seat. A- valve 2| is held against the valve'seat' by means of a coil spring 22 positioned-"under'the valve and a valve stem 23 extends upwardly from the valve in passage 20 and is formed-at its upper end'with a piston-type valve 24 closing the upper end of the passage. The valve 24 at theupper end of stem23 projects upwardly above the' valve housing H and ispositioned under the crossbar or yoke I5 in the path of downward movement of the latter. I

A lateral passage'25 is formed in the-valve=body Hand extends outwardly from passage 20 at one side of the valve housingand to the outer end of which a pipe 26 is connected for operating a whistle 2'! of the conventional type. i

A drain or vent pipe 28 is connected to the up-'- per portion of cylinder 5 to return lubricant working above the piston l to a sump.:(not shown) and'a stop pin'29 extends upwardly from the center of piston 7 to limitupward: movement of the-piston and prevent closing'ofthe' vent'or drain.

The pin 29 also forms a centeringpin-IOr-a coil" spring 30 which is held compressedr between the piston "'l and the cap orxcov'er plate tomove' the piston "I downwardly.

In' the operation of the device the] piston! is held in its raised position, as shown in Figure 2 of the drawing, by a safe working pressure in the lubricating system of an engine or the like and to which the pipe 6 is connected. With the piston 1 in its raised position cross bar or yoke I5 is held above the valve 24 at the upper end of valve stem 23 and spring 22 thus maintains the air valve 2| closed.

Should pressure-in the lubricating system drop below a predetermined safe operating pressure the spring 30 will move piston l downwardly and cross bar or yoke 15 will then engage the upwardly projecting valve 24 at the upper end of valve stem 23 to open air valve 2| and sound the. alarm.

In view of the foregoing description taken'in conjunction with the accompanying drawings it l. A low pressure alarm for lubricating systems comprising a cylinder having a piston working therein and held in one position by fluid pressure, spring means moving the piston in an opposite direction upon a predetermined decrease in pressure in the system, a whistle having a fluid pressure line connected thereto, a longitudinally slidable valve closing the fluid pressure line and disposed; coaxial with the piston, and operating means for the valve and connected to the piston for opening the valve, said operating means comprising a pair of parallel rods slidably carried by the cylinder alongside of said valve, said rods including inner ends attached to the piston and outer ends projecting from the cylinder, and a crossbar attached to the outer ends of the rods and overlying the valve.

. 2. A low pressure alarm for lubricating systems comprising a cylinder having a piston working therein and held in one position by fluid pressure, means connected tothe piston and slidable inwardly and outwardly at one end of the cylinder, springmeans moving the first named means in wardly upon a predetermined decrease in pressure in the system, a fluid pressure operated audie ble alarm,a valve body supported on the cylinder, avalve slidably received in the body and controlling the alarm, spring means within the body under the valve holding the valve closed, and said valve-including a rigid portion projecting from the body and positioned in the path of inward movement of said first named means to open the valve. v

3. A low pressure alarm for lubricating systems comprising a cylinder having a piston working therein and held in one position by fluid pressure. means connected to the piston and slidable inwardly and outwardly at one end of the cylinder, spring means moving the first named means inwardly upon a predetermined decrease in pressure in the system, a valve housing connected to said one end of the cylinder and having a passage thereinconnected to a source of fluid pressure, an audible alarm connected to said passage, and a valve closing the passage and having a valvestem disposed coaxial'with said piston and in the path of inward movement of said first named means to open the valve.

4. A low pressure alarm for lubricating systems comprising a cylinder having a piston working therein and held in one position by fluid pressure, means connected to the piston and slidable inwardly and outwardly at one end of the cylinder, spring means moving the first named means inwardly upon a predetermined decrease in pressure in the system, a valve housing connected to said one end of the cylinder and having a passage therein extending outwardly at one end of the housing and having a lateral inlet port connected to a source of fluid pressure and a lateral outlet port, an audible alarm connected to the outlet port, a spring loaded valve closing the passage at a point between the inlet and outlet ports, a piston-type valve closing the outer end of the passage and projecting outwardly of the housing in the path of inward movement of said first named means, and a stem rigidly connecting said valves to each other to open the first named valve. 5. A low pressure alarm for lubricating systems, comprising a cylinder having a piston working therein and held in one position by fluid pressure. said cylinder including an upper end plate, a valve housing supported on said end plate and including a passage therein extending outwardly at one end of the housing and having a lateral inlet port connected to a source of fluid pressure and a lateral outlet port adapted to be connected to an audible alarm, a spring loaded valve closing the passage at a point between the inlet and outlet ports, a piston type valve connected to the spring loaded valve and closing the outer end of said passage and projecting outwardly of the housing, a plurality of rods slidably carried by said end plate and said housing and having inner ends attached to said piston, said rods being disposed alongside of said valves and including outer ends projecting outwardly from the housing be-'- yond said piston type valve, and a crossbar'attached to the outer ends of said rods and overlying the piston type valve for actuating the latter as the piston moves away from said end plate in response to, a reduction of pressure in the cylinder.

EUGENE TOPPING.

REFERENCES CITED The fpllowing references are: of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PA'I'ENTS Number Name 3 Date 1,365,786 Kimble et al J an. l8, 1921 1,479,797 Eveleigh l Jan. '8', 1924 

